FamilyEbiz Podcast

116: Wake Up Your Sleepy List: Email Re-Engagement Tips

Most email lists don't need to be replaced — they need to be reconnected with, and this episode shows you exactly how to do it. If your email list has gone quiet, you're not alone. Inconsistent sending, selling too often, and skipping the relationship-building are the most common reasons lists go cold — and none of them are permanent. This episode walks through a straightforward email re-engagement strategy that any creator or small business owner can use, even if they haven't sent an email in months. Perfect for online business owners, content creators, and entrepreneurs who already have a list but aren't sure how to bring it back to life — because starting over isn't always the answer. Here's what's covered in this episode: ✅Why your list went cold — and it's not what you think ✅ONE subject line you can send today to restart the conversation ✅A 3-email re-engagement sequence that rebuilds trust fast ✅Why storytelling beats tips every time with a cold audience ✅How to find out exactly what your readers are struggling with so you never run out of content Stop starting over and start reconnecting. Grab the free resource below and put this strategy to work this week. Resources for You 37 Best Subject Lines [https://familyebiz.com/shop/email/subject-lines/] (Free Download) Email Writing Secrets eBook [https://familyebiz.com/shop/email/email-writing-secrets/] Show Notes: You Don't Need 10,000 Subscribers — Your List Is Just Asleep You do not need 10,000 subscribers to make sales. Most of you have the email list that you need. It's just asleep. And instead of reconnecting with the people already on your list, you think you need to start over. Today I'm going to share how you can wake up an inactive email list — or even just a section of it. I have an email list that has some very highly engaged people, but then I have some very unengaged people. And I'm going to share some of the things I'll be doing in my homeschool niche business to re-engage them before I delete them from my list. Why Your List Went Cold So what's really been going on? You stopped emailing consistently, or life got busy, or you ran out of ideas. Or you worried — what if they unsubscribe if I email them? What if they forget who I am? So you just stopped emailing completely. Silence kills trust faster than imperfect emails. Let me repeat that. Silence kills trust faster than imperfect emails. Why do lists go cold? Maybe there's no clear purpose — they don't really understand why you're emailing them because you don't have clarity on it yourself. Maybe you're sending random emails that don't tie in to any kind of pain point or target market. Or here's one I used to do on a regular basis — I would only email when I was selling something. People get tired of that. There's no relationship building. That to me is really the crux of all of it. Are you building relationships with the people on your list? Your email list is not a storage unit. It is a relationship, and you need to tend it well — just like you tend a garden well, just like you tend the hearts of your children. Email Works Because Relationships Compound Over Time ConvertKit grew by focusing heavily on relationships — letting content creators build relationships and consistent communication. Their philosophy centered around helping creators own their audience relationships instead of depending on social media and all the algorithms. Email works because relationships compound over time. So let me give you an idea for how you could re-engage or find out if people still want to be on your list. You could send this subject line today. This is the easiest, quickest win you could do this week. Just put — still want to hear from me? That's the subject line. Inside, say yes, keep sending or no thanks. They click one or the other. No — they're off. Yes — they stay on. Simple engagement restarts connection with the people on your list. A Three-Email Re-Engagement Sequence Here is a three-email sequence for email re-engagement. This works whether people haven't been opening your emails or you've just got a completely dead list. Email one — reconnect. Just say hey, it's been a while. Share what's been happening and be very personal. Don't try to sell them anything in email one. Email two — provide value. Share a lesson, a quick win, a story, maybe a mistake you made. If you can make it around a story, that will tighten your relationship a lot more. Email three — invite action. Ask them to reply, to click, to download, or to watch something. Reconnect, provide value, invite action. And here's why it matters — engagement wakes up inbox placement. When they begin to engage with your email, it moves away from the promotions tab and into the primary tab. Stories Reconnect People Faster Than Tips James Ultasure from ConvertKit repeatedly rebuilt his audience and business through direct email communication and personal storytelling. His transparency with stories built loyal readers. Stories reconnect people faster than endless tips. Tips teach — that's nice, you've got three points. But stories connect emotionally. That's why I try to lead with a story in my emails. It could be a personal story about me. It could be a story about a homeschooler. It could be a story about a friend I've been watching struggle in business. What kinds of stories could you share? A business mistake. A launch flop. A fear. Lessons learned. A mistake in your field. I could talk about my fear of raising my kids to not be productive adults, to not even know what to do. People buy from humans, not content machines. You've got to include stories in what you're actually doing. And here's a great way to figure out what stories to share. Ask your readers — what are you struggling with right now? Give them three options. If you can make it into a poll, even better — all they do is click a button. You'll see exactly what they're responding to. And those responses give you podcast topics, blog post topics, offers, lead magnets, and story ideas. Ann Handley built two multi-million dollar businesses through consistent, relationship-driven email writing. Her emails feel conversational and personal. You don't need to write your email like a corporate giant. Write it like you're talking to one person. That is how you build trust and re-engage your people. Your List Is Not Dead — It Just Needs Reconnection You do not need to start over. Your list is not dead. It just needs reconnection. If this helped you, would you please share it with a friend and leave a five-star review? If you're on YouTube, leave a comment and subscribe to our channel. I also have two free resources for you in the show notes. The first is my 37 Best Subject Lines [https://familyebiz.com/shop/email/subject-lines/]— it covers the different types of subject lines and how to use them. The second is my Email Writing Secrets ebook [https://familyebiz.com/shop/email/email-writing-secrets/], which gives you a full overview of using email to build relationships and make sales. Both links are in the show notes.

115: Lead Magnet Examples That Convert Fast

Creators who build smaller, faster freebies are quietly growing bigger lists — here's exactly how they do it. Most creators assume a bigger freebie means more subscribers. But the data — and real experience — says the opposite. This video walks through specific lead magnet examples across multiple niches, explains why simpler formats convert better, and shows you exactly how to create a micro lead magnet from content you already have. If your email list isn't growing consistently, this is for creators who are done overthinking and ready to build something that actually works — fast, without the overwhelm. ✅Why a one-page checklist outperforms a 47-page e-book every time ✅3 real-world lead magnet examples across different niches ✅1 question to ask yourself before you build anything ✅What formats your audience is most likely to opt in for ✅How to build your micro lead magnet from content you already have Grab the Scrappy List Building Checklist mentioned in this episode — link in the show notes. Resources for You Scrappy List Building Checklist [https://familyebiz.com/scrappy] Show Notes: You Don't Need a Giant Freebie to Grow Your Email List One of the biggest mistakes creators make is believing they need some gigantic, complicated freebie before they can grow their email list. So they spend three months writing a 47-page ebook and then barely anyone signs up. Meanwhile, another content creator throws together a one-page checklist in an hour and gets hundreds of subscribers. Which one are you? Smaller, faster lead magnets often convert better because they solve one tiny problem immediately. Bigger Is Usually Slower Most of you already have blog posts, podcast episodes, videos, or social posts — but your list is not growing consistently. And you think — I need a bigger freebie, a better freebie, something bigger. I need a whole full course before I can promote anything. These are lies in your head. That is imposter syndrome. Put it away. The reality is bigger is usually slower. Bigger is usually complicated, and complicated delays action. People don't know what to do because it's so complicated. They are overwhelmed. They need bite-size benefits, bite-size transformations, things that will work — quick wins. Nobody needs another giant ebook or another 40-minute training or another complicated resource. What they want is a quick win, fast clarity, and immediate help. People are not going to download or sign up for your freebie based on size. They download based on the speed of solution. Simple Converts Better — Here's Why There's a man named Justin Welsh. At a time when many creators were building six and seven figure businesses from templates and swipe files, he decided he was going to be known for lightweight digital resources — very simple systems creators could implement quickly. A minimalist approach to internet marketing. He helped grow a large creator business because people wanted practical transformation, not to be overwhelmed with complication. The simpler the solution feels, the more likely people are to opt in. If you're multitasking, come back to me for that one. The simpler the solution feels, the more likely people are to opt in. Think about Pablo Picasso and his sketches. He often created rapid sketches and many studies before he ever created a larger work. Those small, quick creations became incredibly valuable on their own. Quick execution often creates momentum more than waiting for perfection. Good is good enough. Your audience does not need your masterpiece first. They need momentum. Lead Magnet Examples Across Different Niches So what do I want you to do right now? Go look at your latest podcast or blog post and ask yourself — what is one quick action someone could take away from this piece of content? Then turn that one action into a checklist, a script, a swipe file, a worksheet — something they could implement this week. Here are some lead magnet examples to get you thinking. If you're a fitness trainer, you could create a seven-step launch checklist for fitness trainers. If you're in the gardening niche and people are frustrated because weeds keep taking over, your lead magnet could be — use this simple weed control checklist to stop weeds before they spread. Download the one-page garden weed checklist below. It solves a specific problem, it's a fast solution, and it's easy to implement this week. You're not saying join my garden newsletter. You're saying get the weekly weed control checklist. If you're in the travel niche, you could create a seven-stop road trip planner template to map your route in 15 minutes. Grab the free road trip planning template below. It solves one immediate pain point — they don't want to waste money and they don't want to waste time. You're not saying subscribe for my travel updates. You're saying get the exact road trip planning template. If you're overwhelmed planning podcast episodes — which was me a while back — use a five-step episode outline template. It's specific, it's immediate, and it's easy to understand. You're not saying join my newsletter. You're saying get the exact podcast planning checklist. Other ideas — a checklist like 10 things to do before your kids become a teenager, a character building template, an AI prompts swipe file in your subject area, subject line templates, sales email scripts, a quick start guide like cooking dinner in 30 minutes and what you need to do. One of Mine — The Scrappy List Building Checklist Here's one of my own lead magnet examples. My Scrappy List Building Checklist is one page with seven ways to build your list in a scrappy way. You could print it out and put it on the wall. Seven might sound like too many, but you could just pick one and do it this week. On the back end, every person who downloads it gets one email a day for seven days — one email for each idea — giving them a little more information. Simple. Effective. These work because they reduce friction. People think — I could actually use this today. But when they look at a free lead magnet and think it's going to take six weeks to implement, they say no thank you. What to Do This Week Look at one piece of content you've already created. Brainstorm three different micro lead magnets you could make from it. You're not going to make all three — just brainstorm. You can even go to ChatGPT and get some ideas. Then pick one and make it. Simple ideas spread faster than overwhelming systems. Your audience does not need bigger. They need clarity and speed. Stop waiting to build the perfect freebie. Build the quick solution people can use immediately. That is your micro lead magnet. I've linked my Scrappy List Building Checklist [https://familyebiz.com/scrappy] in the show notes — grab it and see a real example of what a micro lead magnet looks like. It is one of my most popular freebies, and I think it will give you a great idea of what yours could look like too.

114: How to Prevent Burnout as a Solopreneur

Feeling overwhelmed juggling business and family life? You’re not alone—and you don’t have to burn out to succeed. In this episode, I’m sharing simple, real-life strategies on how to avoid burnout for entrepreneurs, especially for moms running a business from home.  It’s not about doing it all—it’s about doing what matters most, with intention and grace. You’ll walk away with practical tools to build a sustainable business and still have time for your family and yourself. We’ll talk about: ✅Why chasing balance isn’t the goal—and what to focus on instead ✅Time-blocking tips that fit around your family life ✅How to simplify your to-do list and stop the guilt ✅Ways to involve your family in your business ✅The self-care shifts that help you stay energized and focused 🎧 Ready to stop the hustle and start thriving?  Post one way to avoid burnout in our FamilyEbiz Group [https://familyebiz%20group/] to take your next step! Resources Mentioned: FamilyEbiz Community [https://familyebiz%20group/] -  Share one way to give yourself grace or take care of yourself. Show Notes: Hey everyone, I’m Kerry Beck with FamilyEbiz! Today, we’re diving into a topic that so many work-at-home moms struggle with—burnout. Balancing family, business, and self-care can be overwhelming. I’ve been there myself, feeling like I just want to drop everything and do nothing. But the reality is, we can’t do it all perfectly—and that’s okay. THE MYTH OF BALANCE & WHY IT’S NOT THE GOAL Balance doesn’t mean doing everything at the same time. Instead, it’s about making intentional choices. * Learn to let go of urgency and focus on what’s truly important. * Understand that different seasons of life require different priorities. * Give yourself permission to say no to things that aren’t essential. When I was homeschooling, I had to step back from other commitments. And guess what? That was okay! Saying no to some things allowed me to avoid burnout and stay focused on what mattered most. REAL-LIFE STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING IT ALL TIME-BLOCKING THAT WORKS * Create a flexible daily rhythm instead of a rigid schedule. * Set designated work hours that fit around family time. * Even a small dedicated workspace (like a closet) can make a difference. SETTING REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS & GIVING YOURSELF GRACE * Simplify your to-do list—focus on just three priorities a day. * Accept that “good is good enough” (your house doesn’t need to be spotless!). * Let go of guilt when you need to prioritize your business. For example, I bought a Roomba to vacuum instead of doing it myself. It’s not perfect, but it saves me time and energy! BATCHING & AUTOMATION FOR BUSINESS GROWTH * Pre-record content, schedule social media, and use email sequences. * Set admin tasks at the same time each day for efficiency. * Use a rhythm for chores—laundry on Monday & Thursday, cleaning on Mondays, etc. INVOLVING YOUR FAMILY IN THE PROCESS * Give kids age-appropriate tasks to help with your business. * Teach them essential life skills like cleaning and cooking. * Communicate with your spouse so they can support your goals. My kids even helped run our business—sometimes better than I did! They knew how to ship products and handle tasks, giving me more time to focus on business. PRIORITIZING SELF-CARE TO AVOID BURNOUT Self-care isn’t a luxury—it’s a business strategy. * Get enough sleep—even a 10-minute power nap can recharge you. * Move your body—go for a walk or take breaks throughout the day. * Take a quiet coffee break—even 5-10 minutes can reset your mind. * Journal or read—find a hobby that refreshes you. I used to take early morning walks before my family woke up. It gave me time to think, pray, and prepare for the day. My mom had a daily tea break—just 10 minutes, but it helped her recharge! FINAL CHALLENGE This week, choose one way to give yourself grace or take care of yourself. Small changes can help you be more productive in your business and present for your family. 👉 Want more support? Join our FamilyEbiz Facebook community [https://www.facebook.com/groups/familyebiz] and connect with fellow small business owners who are streamlining their time, boosting productivity, and growing their businesses! Thanks for tuning in—see you next time!

113: Why Clarity for Business Changes Your Sales

Too many ideas, too many half-finished offers, and still no consistent sales — that is not a traffic problem. That is a clarity for business problem. And the good news is, it is completely fixable. In this episode, we break down exactly what is causing the confusion and what to do about it. Here are 5 things you will walk away with: ✅Why a confused audience never buys — no matter how much content you create ✅How your own lack of clarity is causing no sales ✅The 3-part sweet spot every online business needs ✅How to identify your one main offer and finally stop spinning your wheels ✅A simple website test to see if your audience can even find your solution ✅Why you do not need more products — you just need alignment Ready to stop overwhelming your audience and start turning your content into consistent sales? Grab your free spot in the 5 Fixes class and find the clarity your business has been missing: familyebiz.com/5fixes Resources for You Free Training — What's Missing in Your Online Business? 5 Fixes That Unlock Real Growth - Watch the replay when you sign up here. [https://familyebiz.com/5fixes] Related Episode: How to Prioritize Tasks That Actually Make You Money [https://familyebiz.com/111] Course mentioned: BOOST! Tools to BOOST Your Business to the Next Level [https://familyebiz.com/boost] Show Notes: You Don't Have a Traffic Problem. You Have a Clarity Problem. You don't have a traffic problem. You don't even have a product problem. You have a clarity problem. You have too many ideas, too many offers, and no consistent sales. Today I'm going to show you what's really going on, and how you can find more clarity that will drive more sales to your business. What's Really Going On Here's the reality. You may have multiple offers, or a lot of unfinished ones. You start and you're like, oh, I'm going to go do this, I'm going to go do that — sort of that squirrel in a cage running around. Or you don't have a clear funnel. You're really not even sure what to do daily when you sit down. What I think is happening is you're piecing together free advice from everywhere. You've tried multiple things. You don't have one clear direction. And your people don't have one clear direction about how they can solve their problems. You don't have clarity in your business, and your audience doesn't either. A confused mind does not buy. A confused audience means no sales. If you don't even have clarity on what your business is about, how can your audience have clarity about what your solution is? What Airbnb and Twitter Can Teach You Brian Chesky struggled early with Airbnb. He iterated through many different ideas and finally gained traction by focusing on something very simple — the stay in someone's home concept. He started learning directly from early users. I actually remember when Steve and I were in San Francisco right when Airbnb had just started. We were going over to Sausalito for a few days and we booked an apartment through Airbnb. I'd never done anything like that — and at the time it was only available in the San Francisco and Sacramento area. Now it's worldwide. Airbnb didn't grow by adding more. They grew by clarifying the core idea. Jack Dorsey said early on that Twitter was confusing and unfocused. He simplified it to one function — short updates, 140 characters. That clarity drove the business and made it successful. Clarity made it usable, and usability made it scalable. What is your core idea? If you have too many options, you overwhelm your buyers. If you don't have a clear next step, they don't know what to do, and they're going to go find someone else. Your audience doesn't need more choices. They need direction. How I Found My Clarity The internet often tells you to create more, more, more. I'm telling you to simplify. Several years ago I asked myself — what do I want to be known for? What is it that I think I can help homeschool moms with the most? And here's what I discovered. I really wanted to be known for leadership education, because I feel like it gives purpose to your homeschool. You're not just checking off boxes or going through the motions. You're raising kids who have character, who can think for themselves, who have tools to learn on their own. So I decided I was going to focus on leadership education from a Christian perspective, with a faith base. And that's what I did. Everything I do ties back to that one thing. Sometimes it's a lead magnet, sometimes it's small bundles like my Drama Free Mom bundle — which prepares people to get into my main course, Raising Leaders, Not Followers. It all works together because it all points to one thing. One Main Offer. One Audience. One Direction. Here are some questions I want you to ask yourself and write down. What is my one main offer right now? Am I speaking to where my audience is today? That second question is really important. Your solution may be right, but you may need to go back a step to where your audience is before they're ready for it. Meet them where they are first. In our mastermind group, Janie is in the gardening niche and she's focused on weeds — she's creating a weed course. She has clarity. Jerry Ann is in the quilting industry. She was trying to do all this digital stuff, and she decided — I'm going to make small quilted projects and sell them. That's her one thing. Both of them found their focus, and now they know exactly where they're going. You don't need more products or more solutions. You just need alignment. Here's a really good exercise. Get someone who has never been on your website to hop on and try to find the answer to a specific problem. Don't say anything. Just watch. That will give you a lot of insight into whether your clarity is coming through to your audience. When You Fix Clarity, Everything Changes You're not broken. You're not failing. You're just slightly off, or you have too much going on and your people can't find the solution. The Bible says without a vision, the people perish. If you don't know where you're going, you're going to miss the target every time. Find the sweet spot between your audience's pain point, your platform, and who you are serving. Then head toward it and stay focused. One audience, one problem, one solution. When you fix clarity for business, everything changes. What if you had one simple model that showed you how to turn content into sales? That's exactly what I'm walking through in my free class — What's Missing in Your Online Business: Five Fixes to Unlock Real Growth replay. Sign up here [https://familyebiz.com/5fixes]. I would love to see you there. If this episode helped you, would you please share it with one person? And leave a five-star review or a comment on YouTube — I'll be watching for those.

112: Selling Is Service — Stop Hiding Your Offer

What if hiding your offer is actually hurting the very people you want to help? Selling is service — and if your product solves a real problem, staying quiet is keeping your audience stuck. In this episode, we break down the mindset shift that changes everything about how you show up and sell. Here are 5 things you will walk away with: ✅Why hiding your offer is fear, not humility ✅The difference between pushy marketing and REAL service ✅Why free content informs but paid offers transform ✅The 1-sentence addition you can make to any post or email right now ✅How to start believing in your offer enough to actually share it Ready to stop playing small and start serving at the level your audience deserves? Sign up for the free training on April 22: What Your Business is Missing? 5 Fixes to Unlock Real Growth. It’s exactly what is holding your business back: familyebiz.com/5fixes [https://familyebiz.com/5fixes]  Resources for You Free Training — "What's Missing? Five Fixes That Unlock Real Growth" : April 22nd Live Class (1:00 PM) [https://familyebiz.com/5fixes] Show Notes: Hiding Your Offer Is Not Humility — It's Fear What if not sharing your product with your audience is actually hurting the very people you want to help? You've created something valuable, you believe it works, but you hesitate to talk about it because you're going to ask for money, and you're scared. The online world says don't be salesy. But I'm going to say something different. Hiding your offer is not humility. It's fear. You Don't Have a Product Problem — You Have a Belief Problem Here's the reality. You're creating content but not making consistent sales. You're showing up but avoiding the offer. You're learning from 10 different places but nothing feels complete. And you've got this thing going on in your head — who am I to sell this? Who am I to ask for money? What if no one buys? Some of you have been working on your content for months or even years without seeing results. You believe in your product. But you keep hesitating to sell it, over and over again. I know what that's like, because I used to not really want to put things out for sale. I just as soon give everything for free and let people enjoy it. But that doesn't work. In the last few years I've really worked on my mindset around that imposter syndrome. And I see other people — people know about their products. Why? Because they share them. They let their audience know they have something for sale. You don't have a product problem. You have a belief problem about selling. Selling Is Not Taking — It's Serving Let's talk about changing our mindset. Selling is not taking. It is serving. If your product truly solves a problem, then when you do not offer it, it keeps your people stuck. Does that make sense? If your product solves their problem and you don't ever tell them about it, they just stay stuck — or they go find someone else to buy that product from. Pushy marketing is pressure and manipulation. That is not what I'm talking about. Serving is initiation, invitation, and a solution. You are inviting them in to solve their problem. Competent entrepreneurs don't pitch — they lead. Mel Robbins and the 5-Second Rule There was a person named Mel Robbins. She struggled financially, she nearly lost everything. She created something just for herself called the 5-Second Rule — it was to help her get through a really hard season. Financial trouble, marriage stress, career problems, panic attacks just getting out of bed. Initially she shared it for free, but then she realized people needed deeper help. That's when she turned it into a book, into courses, and into speaking. She turned a personal tool into a framework that has helped millions — because she didn't keep it to herself. If she had just kept it to herself, everyone else would have stayed stuck or tried to figure it out on their own. You need to share your products if they solve a problem. Free Content Informs. Paid Offers Transform. People don't just need information. They need transformation — and that's what your paid offer provides. If you're multitasking, come back to me for this one. Free content informs. Paid offers transform. If you stay in free content mode, your audience stays stuck. They're not going to see transformation. Free advice without a system is why you're not making sales. James Wedmore started as a YouTuber giving free advice on video tips. He spent years teaching YouTube and video marketing, but he realized his people needed a different type of structure to actually succeed. So he shifted his mindset, saw the gap, and began building paid programs to solve their problems. His business exploded. His audience didn't need more free tips. They needed a proven path, a strategy, and a new mindset — and that is what he taught in his paid courses. What to Do This Week I want you to think about this question — and you probably already know the answer. What problem does your product solve? Write that down. Then ask yourself — what happens if your audience doesn't solve that problem? Let's say you've got a great way to help people lose weight. If they don't solve that problem, it's not just that they don't have a solution. Their health goes down, nothing is working right, maybe their finances are even affected because they're spending money on the wrong things. When they don't solve their problem, other areas of their life hurt too. So here's what I want you to do. Add one sentence to your next post, or a PS in your next email. Something like — if you want help with this, here's how I can help you go further. That's not pushy. That is serving. That is leadership. Daymond John from Shark Tank started FUBU — For Us By Us — with a very small amount of money from his mom. He promoted it relentlessly himself. He was not afraid to get that brand out there. Now he's a gazillionaire who helps other people start businesses. He believed in his brand enough to promote it himself. Do you believe in your brand enough? You're not failing. You're just holding back your solution. And in doing that, you're not serving the people you want to help. If you want a simple way to know what to say, when to say it, and how to guide people to your offer — come to my free class on April 22nd. It's called What's Missing in Your Business: Five Fixes to Unlock Real Growth. You can sign up at FamilyEbiz.com/5fixes [https://familyebiz.com/5fixes]. Yes, it's a free class. And yes, I will have something paid — because if you want more transformation, you'll be willing to pay for that transformation. If you feel stuck with your sales, if you're not sure how to serve your people, come to this class. We're going to talk about things that can take your business to the next level.